Lady Auley's Secret Gender Analysis

Improved Essays
The significance of the connection between gender, emotions and normative ideals can be seen throughout nineteenth century British Literature. Ones gender is thought to determine emotional behaviour, as during this period emotions were accustomed by the influence of Society and power, despite both men and women sharing the same emotions (Hansen, Norberg 441). The Victorian period can be particularly associated with the roles and characteristics of men and women becoming more discrete which resulted in the Victorians belief of “separate spheres” (1607). This gave rise to the idea that it was more appropriate for women to stay in the home or private sphere where they were expected to prepare the next generation to continue this way of life and …show more content…
Thus these expectations of emotions disguised how one truly felt about their roles in society and the expectations put upon them according to ones gender. According to Hansen and Norberg, restraint emotions became the ideal in the nineteenth century (443). This is seen in Lady Audley’s Secret, as male and female anger are portrayed differently in the novel as when a woman expresses anger, it is thought of as against the norms of society, whilst men’s anger is seen as justified but in fact it is a give bodily element for both genders. This reinforces the idea of male power and control. For example a change in lady Audley’s skin tone is seen as her anger makes her cheeks “waxen white” (444). An Amplified pulse and the sensation of inner pressure are also physical signs of anger. This is seen in Goblin Market when the rhythm of poem speeds up “racing, whisking, tumbling, hobbling” (237) which emphasises the pressure Laura feels from the goblin men. Furthermore, Laura resembles the pressure women feel by men’s expectations and control over them seen through the intense imagery as she sucks the fruits. This issue is also seen when Laura wants to access the fruits but does not have money so gives the goblin men a piece of her body and only then is she allowed the fruits. It is also seen when Lizzie goes to the goblin market in an …show more content…
Hayes (6) suggests that “feminine women and masculine men derived their identity from the roles society gave them”. For example, Rossetti’s poem centres around the gender expectations of women from an early age, as the poet talks about two young girls living together in a mysterious village carrying out their domestic duties contently, or a least this is how their expected to be. The mysterious village and fairy tale tone gives the poem a fairy tale effect of calm and serene society. Lady Audley’s secret is similar to this, in that Braddon uses Lady Audley to represent a fairy tale image suggesting women lived an ideal life. However the women’s lives are in complete contrast with the life of a fairy tale due to gender expectations. They are expected to be happy timid beautiful women and this is portrayed in goblin market as the sisters have similar appearances to reinforce this idea that all women are of the one nature in terms of morals and behaviours. Lady Audley is also described as a charming, beautiful woman, thus the ideal female. There is a slight contrast in the texts as lady Audley has more power than other women as she is a Lady of the court, whereas Lizzie and Laura are just two young ordinary girls. Nevertheless lady Audley, Lizzie and Laura are all described in a very similar ways when examining their behaviours and appearances, demonstrating how all women

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    According to the author, Ibsen, a woman cannot be herself in modern society. It is a male society alone, with laws made by men and with judges who evaluate female behavior from a man’s word. Women are perceived to be not as smart, less worried about an occupation, also concerned with their apparel, and more aware of theirs and others emotional reactions then men. Like Nora, in the Victorian era, women were evaluated on their family life and purity. Women were to be modest, faithful and well-liked.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The first document (9.2), called Journal, 1788-1789 was written by Mary Dewees is about the Dewees family travel to Kentucky. The journal starts off with Mary Dewees and her family saying farewell to their friends. Knowing that they wouldn’t see them again for a very long time or they might never will, because transportation during the 18th century was very difficult, which is shown throughout the journal. One of of the most important historical fact about the journal is the trials that Dewees family had to endure. For example, “Owing to my sickness..” (170), due to the lack of civilization during the journey, there was not many doctors available and the cost of doctors would have most likely be too expensive for travelers as most had…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Within both Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ and Rossetti’s poetry, the idea of a pressurised faith is evident in terms of religious belief. Ibsen initiates this by setting his play over the three-day span of the Christmas period – a trait of the naturalistic style of theatre that he wrote within. He demonstrates this by having the central character of Nora Helmer fixate on the Christmas tree place in the centre of the stage. The use of a Christian holiday to demonstrate the importance of religious faith is also evident in Christina Rossetti’s poem ‘Good Friday’. Due to the religious title the connection to the theme of faith is obvious.…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “Goblin Market” is a story about sisterhood but it is also a story of redemption and self-sacrifice. You can look at the bond between Lizzie and Laura and absorb a rekindled appreciation for your own relationships even if you don’t have a sibling. There is an essence of emotional truth in the poem that is universal. We can look at examples from our personal experiences where we have been called to sacrifice or recall someone has made a sacrifice for us. After reading “Goblin Market”, one may be more inclined to consider unselfish tendencies to be nobler and seek to act more in that…

    • 1435 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Women at the end of both the 18th and 19th centuries had very little say in what happened in their lives. This was particularly true in the area of romantic relationships and marriage. Eliza from The Coquette and Edna from The Awakening both face dilemmas in this area as a single and married woman respectively. Although each dies a tragic death, they demonstrate a shift in the moral fiber of society not to occur for many years. These women challenge their era’s standards about relational morality and personal autonomy through making independent choices based on their emotions.…

    • 1596 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Women at the end of both the 18th and 19th centuries had very little say in what happened in their lives. Particularly, this became true in the area of romantic relationships and marriage. Eliza from The Coquette and Edna from The Awakening both face dilemmas in this area as a single and married woman respectively. Although each dies a tragic death, they demonstrate a shift in the moral fiber of society not to occur for many years. These women challenge their era’s standards about relational morality and personal autonomy through making independent choices based on their emotions.…

    • 1909 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Following the Age of Enlightenment, the concept of Separate Spheres emerged as a distinct ideology that imposed gender roles which dictated that the men’s place was in the public sphere while the women’s place was in the private sphere. It claimed that the division was natural, rooted in the biological difference between men and women. The men’s role was to live grandiose dreams while the women’s role was to be a model of self-control with utmost obedience and spirituality. Kate Ferguson Ellis argues that the concept of Separate Spheres constructed toxic family systems that disabled both men and women as well as their children. Ellis claims that Separate Spheres facilitated the enforcement of harmful gender roles because it held men to an unattainable…

    • 1245 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Victorian Era Life in the Victorian Era was an intriguing time to be alive. Crime was a major obstacle. There were interesting trial cases going on. The fashion of the time was drastically different and way more expensive than our modern “fashion.” The expectations that women were required to uphold were drastically different than those imposed on men.…

    • 998 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Supposedly based loosely on an erotic dream of Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ (1897) embodies one of the most fascinating and symbolically sexualised characters in English literature. Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ addresses Victorian anxieties regarding its women’s feminist awakening and breaking of patriarchal chains during the time and highlighted this fear in his novel. By focusing on these topics in his novel, Stoker, who was a staunch conservative Anglican and advocate of patriarchy, emphasises how women’s interests were leading to a dangerous change in the Victorian morality, and with the advent of the New Woman could hyperbolically eventuate in the complete destruction of English civilization. Throughout the Victorian period, men were becoming worried about women’s interests and what role they should play in society.…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, demonstrates the relationship between a man and a woman in the mid nineteenth century. In modern day relationships, the husband and wife are treated as equals, but during the nineteenth century, the man is seen as powerful and the wife as weak. Throughout “The Yellow Wallpaper”, there are clear examples of the roles men and women fall into, the power difference between men and women, and the effect it causes on the relationship. During the mid nineteenth century, there are typical roles that men and women fall into. Men are the ones that make money and pursue careers, while the women are left to sit at home and care for the children.…

    • 1008 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Historians using gender as a categorical tool of historical analysis have won prizes from Organization of American Historians and American Historical Association such as Joan Scott and Kathleen Brown. In 1986, Joan Wallach Scott published her groundbreaking article, Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis.” In this article, Scott asserts that gender had not been previously used a conceptual framework like race and class and should be used by historians to examine their subjects. Scott’s article is a part of a larger study of gender published in her book, Gender and the Politics of History. This book rallies historians to break away from biologically constructed notions of what it means to be male and female and what their sex-roles…

    • 1169 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The general population of society expects individuals to hide their true feelings. Gender roles play an important part of social expectations. Two authors that demonstrate the difference of social outlooks are Marie Therese Colimon in her poem “Encounter” and Frank Collymore in “Some People are Meant to Live Alone.” These authors use various types of literary elements to demonstrate the world assumptions for either a male or female. Marie Therese Colimon discusses from a woman’s perspective how we truly feel internally, while Frank Collymore discusses from a male perspective how a man can be forced to their limits because of social assumptions.…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Relationship of Gender and Vocation in the 19th century novel Women and men in 19th century society occupied separate spheres since it was believed that the sexes have different physical and mental characteristics. Men belonged in the outside world or the public sphere, “where they could use their capacity for logical thought to best effect” (Rowbotham). Women, on the other hand, according to Rowbotham, were expected to belong to “the more passive, private sphere of the household and home where their inborn emotional talents would serve them best”. Physicians and anthropologists justified this division further by saying that if women were to mentally exert themselves like men, “women would divert the supply of blood and phosphates from…

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Influences of Charles Dickens Although it was a time for peace, prosperity, and freedom, the Victorian era did not come without hardships and doubt. In the age of Queen Victoria, otherwise known as the Victorian era, the British people’s long struggle for personal liberty was accomplished and democratic government became fully entrenched (qtd. by McCoy and Harlan, The Victorian Age, 99). The Victorian culture could be seen as a “fiercely contested imagine space,” as well as fraught with “contradictory” aspects.…

    • 1578 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The blurred boundaries create a type of passive heroism. In a society with such oppression of women to heterosexual male dominance, Lizzie does not surrender to the temptation and seduction of the Goblins as Laura does. She actively attempts to conquer it. And bravely tampers with economic and sexual spheres. Goblin Market leaves an ambiguous ending which highlights Rossetti’s issues with dominance, gender and sexuality but fails to offer any resolution in relation to the subject of female heroism.…

    • 938 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays